Top Conservative strategist says Poilievre needs to urgently pivot or he will lose

[Spazito]

Conservative leader is acting too 'Trump-y' and needs to make a change, says strategist

One of the country's top Conservative strategists who just helped Ontario Premier Doug Ford win a sizable majority government says Pierre Poilievre urgently needs to make a pivot and start talking more about the issue voters care about most — the U.S. threat — or he risks losing the federal election.

In an interview with CBC News, Kory Teneycke said only weeks ago Poilievre was on track to win a massive majority government, and now every major pollster in the country says it's the Liberals who are set to win big. If an election were held today, the Conservatives would lose, Teneycke said.

He said it's because of U.S. President Donald Trump — and the Conservative Party's inadequate messaging around what it would do to try and stop his tariffs and annexationist threats.

snip

Teneycke said Poilievre acts and sounds too much like the president, with his pet names for his political opponents ("Carbon tax Carney&quot and catchy sloganeering ("big beautiful bring it home tax cut&quot , and it's off-putting to voters the party needs to win.

"It all sounds too Trump-y for a lot of voters," Teneycke said.

more

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/top-conservative-strategist-poilievre-lose-1.7495524

Really good read and has dire predictions for the Cons and this from a dyed-in-the-wool Con strategist.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. His most tRumpist slogan is "Canada First". America First is rapidly becoming America Lonely. . . . . nt

[Bev54]

2. I certainly hope we Canadians are not naive enough

To fall for any about face. We all know who he is.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. I really don't follow closely

but I think Carney found strength in the polls so called election immediately. Apparently the choice was April or October? Strike while the iron is hot.

I think he will be tough for Trump to deal with.

[BobTheSubgenius]

4. The first time I saw one of his ads, I was immediately alienated.

Vague drivel with impossible expectations. Most glaringly...how would he, or anyone, bring down the cost of housing to an "affordable" level? The only possible way would be to somehow crash the market, because slight adjustments in taxes on building materials and minorly adjusting property tax mill rates would bring only small changes, not exactly a big help when the average price of a single-family home here in Vancouver is north of $2 million. Allegedly (to hear him tell it), his "common sense budget" will also "stop crime." Criminals need only the common sense guidance of a saintly politician to find a better way to live.

Besides, property taxes are a civic and provincial domain, not federal. "Common sense budgets" virtually never contain much common sense at all. I only hope he continues to get all kinds of "helpful" endorsements from the Drumpf administration. This brotherly outreach is about as helpful as him going into a town hall meeting in the obvious latter stages of leprosy.

[Spazito]

5. Yep, his ads are beyond cliche...

and obvious. He really is showing the desperation the Cons are feeling now.

[BobTheSubgenius]

6. While I loudly applaud the desperation, and appreciate a lot of the impetus behind it - GOP endorsements - I would

happily trade some of that for some similar movement south of the 49th. While the INCREDIBLE change of fortunes for Carney that even eclipse Justin's turnaround in 2015, Drumpf surging in the polls is beyond alarming. I now feel dread over that, more that at any other time in my life, and am trying to fight the feeling that the Grim Reaper is the only way out.

I just don't get it.

[Spazito]

7. With him being elected again after the disaster of his first term...

I no longer see him as an outlier, he is who the majority of the American people want, those who voted and those who chose not to.

It is frightening given we, too, could be in the same place in the blink of an eye. The number of Canadians voting in elections has also dropped to a worrisome level and the support for PP and his trumpish behavior shows me we have much to be concerned about.

My hope is that Canadians will turn out in massive numbers to vote because this election is the most important one in my long lifetime.